Grave shortage of Lorry space
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• A warning that transport land was being swallowed up, with possibly dire consequences for hauliers in urban areas, was given on Monday by Mr W. W. Grace, of Lion Cartage Ltd. Mr Grace was speaking as chairman of the RHA Metropolitan and South Eastern area, at the annual dinner in London. He asked that when railway or waterway property was being disposed of, priority should always be given to its continued transport use.
Said Mr Grace: "It is two years almost to the day since we had a most encouraging report from the freight group of the transport co-ordinating council for London. The report was based on information supplied by over 500 of our London members and it suggested among other things that far more consideration ought to be given to the preservation of land for transport purposes. These purposes include lorry parking as well as the building of adequate roads.
"Little seems to have been done following this promising start. If anything the situation is getting worse. We find, for example, that plans for riverside development fail to make allowance for the changing pattern of transport. We have had the same problem with the disposal of sites formerly used by the railways.
"What the planners must accept as a firm principle is that, when land used for transport purposes is developed, first priority should be given to its continued transport use.
"The authorities continually fail to take into account the continued growth of road haulage, due partly to the natural increase in the volume of traffic to be carried and partly to the inevitable switch to road from other forms of transport. Unless some action is taken. the grave shortage of road space can only get worse. It is time for the GLC to have a look at the survey on transport land and to take or exercise the necessary power to retain this land for transport use, whatever pressure there may
be to exploit it for other purposes that may seem to offer a greater immediate financial profit."
This was, said Mr Grace, not simply a matter of concern for hauliers. The national economy would suffer if transport efficiency were reduced by the lack of suitable sites.
The report "Transport Land Survey of Road Haulage Depots" was made to the transport co-ordination council for London on March 10 1969 by the manager of the transportation policy group. Among other things the report said:— "The evidence quoted tends to show. that despite the importance of the road transport industry to the economy, insufficient account has been taken of its special needs in terms of land use and costs... In general, freight transport users cannot compete with commercial or industrial users for land which, other things being equal, is desirable for transport purposes yet there is a clear need for extensive and well sited areas of land for these purposes, and it is arguable that no land formerly in transport use should be alienated from that use unless its potential for some other transport use has been carefully examined (eg, railway surplus land)."